Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
257 words
A centrifuge comprising: a rotor rotatable about an axis; an array of pockets carried on said rotor and centered on said axis, said pockets each having a radially inner region formed as a sieve and a radially outer region; a flared skirt carried on said rotor, centered on said axis, surrounding said array of pockets, axially partially overlapping said array of pockets, and forming an annular space between said skirt and said sieves; means for feeding a solids/liquid mixture into said rotor generally at said axis; means for rotating said rotor and thereby centrifugally outwardly displacing said mixture over said sieves and across said space with concomitant filtering of at least part of the liquid phase of said mixture through said sieves; means for extracting said liquid phase from behind said sieves as a primary filtrate; an inwardly open channel carried on said rotor and having outlets opening axially into said space; means including a stationary wash-liquid feed pipe opening radially into said channel for introducing a wash liquid into said channel and then passing said liquid through said outlets into said space to mix with the portion of said mixture being centrifugally projected across said space; an outer flared drum rotatable about said axis independently of said rotor, spacedly surrounding said skirt, and having a wide-end edge; and means for rotating said drum independently of said rotor and thereby displacing said portion of said mixture axially along said drum with at least the solid phase of said portion being projected centrifugally outwardly from said wide-end edge.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
257 words
A centrifuge comprising: a rotor rotatable about an axis; an array of pockets carried on said rotor and centered on said axis, said pockets each having a radially inner region formed as a sieve and a radially outer region; a flared skirt carried on said rotor, centered on said axis, surrounding said array of pockets, axially partially overlapping said array of pockets, and forming an annular space between said skirt and said sieves; means for feeding a solids/liquid mixture into said rotor generally at said axis; means for rotating said rotor and thereby centrifugally outwardly displacing said mixture over said sieves and across said space with concomitant filtering of at least part of the liquid phase of said mixture through said sieves; means for extracting said liquid phase from behind said sieves as a primary filtrate; an inwardly open channel carried on said rotor and having outlets opening axially into said space; means including a stationary wash-liquid feed pipe opening radially into said channel for introducing a wash liquid into said channel and then passing said liquid through said outlets into said space to mix with the portion of said mixture being centrifugally projected across said space; an outer flared drum rotatable about said axis independently of said rotor, spacedly surrounding said skirt, and having a wide-end edge; and means for rotating said drum independently of said rotor and thereby displacing said portion of said mixture axially along said drum with at least the solid phase of said portion being projected centrifugally outwardly from said wide-end edge.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 1 wherein said pockets have a predetermined axial dimension and said skirt overlaps said pockets by a distance equal to at least half of said dimension.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
85 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 1 wherein said skirt has a skirt edge and said rotor has a base plate spaced therefrom, said drum having a solid and imperforate annular wall section radially aligned between said base plate and said skirt edge with said pockets and a foraminous annular wall section between said solid section and said wide-end edge, whereby at least part of the remaining liquid phase and wash liquid will be filtered out of said portion of said mixture at said foraminous section.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 3, wherein said imperforate wall section has a half angle equal to less than the heap angle of said mixture.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 4 wherein said foraminous wall section has a half angle equal to more than said heap angle.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 1 wherein said outlets open at said radially outer portions of said pockets.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 6 wherein said pockets are each subdivided into an inner compartment having an axial primary-filtrate drain forming part of said means for extracting and an outer compartment into which the respective outlet opens.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 7 wherein said drains are pipes inclined slightly to said axis.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 7 wherein said outer drum forms another inwardly open channel level with said drains and constituting part of said means for extracting.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
40 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 7 wherein said pockets have at said outer compartments substantially solid and imperforate outer walls defining with a perpendicular to a radius of said axis an angle smaller than the heap angle of said mixture.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
32 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 1 wherein said skirt has a flare angle at least in a region level with said pockets that is smaller than the heap angle of said mixture.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
46 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 1 wherein said pockets are each subdivided internally into an inner sieve compartment and an outer compartment, said inner compartments being elongated in directions perpendicular to said axis and being substantially longer in the respective directions than the respective outer compartments.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 12 wherein said inner compartments are at least twice as long as the respective outer compartments.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
67 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 1 wherein said means for feeding includes an axially extending pipe having a mouth opening at said axis in said rotor and a stack of annular disks lying substantially perpendicular to said axis, having outer peripheries fixed to said rotor, spaced axially apart, and having inner peripheries of diameters smaller than the inside diameter of said axially extending pipe at said mouth.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
41 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 14 wherein said stack of disks includes a disk further from said mouth than said other disks which is not annular but which is solid, the diameters of said inner peripheries decreasing away from said mouth.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
47 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 14 wherein said disks are spaced axially apart from one another and from said mouth by a predetermined maximum spacing substantially smaller than said diameters but larger than said spacing will be caught by said disks and prevented from traveling outwardly therebetween.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
23 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 14 wherein said rotor has ribs extending generally parallel to said axis and connected to said outer peripheries.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
11 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 17 wherein said ribs are scoop-shaped.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
28 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 1 wherein said skirt and drum are oppositely flared, whereby said mixture changes axial direction when moving from said skirt to said drum.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
22 words
The centrifuge defined in claim 1 wherein said pockets are concave forwardly relative to the normal direction of rotation of said rotor.